Social Listening 18 April 2025
Time echoes …Mr Macaroni resurrects a Bola Tinubu tweet
“Medicine after death” for crypto investors
It is depressing enough that many Nigerians lost N1.3 trillion to a Ponzi scheme run by CBEX. Some government agencies stoked citizens’ anger with their responses and boasts. Here is a reasoned and angry retort.
YOUTUBE.COM
EFCC To Investigate CBEX Ponzi Scheme, Recover Funds For ‘Investors’ + More
#breakingnews #tinubu #bolaahmedtinubu #kashimshettima #abuja #TVCNews #TVC #News #NaijaNews #NaijaGist #Entertainment #NewsUpdate #BreakingNews #NewsInNiger…
Lol. Medicine after death. These people were there, collecting deposits from Nigerians and promising them out-of-this-world interest rates.
No one investigated them to find out who they were, what they were doing with the money they were collecting or how they were making money to pay the fantastic interest rates they were paying.
The authorities knew they were up to no good and were not registered. Yet, nothing was done or said.
Now that the scheme has collapsed and people have lost their hard-earned money, all we hear from the agencies that should protect the public, such as the EFCC, CBN, and the police, is that ” we warned Nigerians to stop patronising such organisations.”
When was a mere warning ever enough?
A CBN that closed down hundreds of duly licensed Community, Mortgage or Commercial banks for one malfeasance, misstep, or the other, some minor, cannot close down these illegal money-doubling schemes?
Can the EFCC say they didn’t know what was happening?
If they say so, then their intelligence gathering is nothing to write home about.
So, if they knew, why didn’t they move in, shut down their operations and arrest those behind it?
They were probably preoccupied with chasing small fry, Yahoo boys, while ignoring the major fraudsters.
To compound matters, these people were transacting their business in dollars.
Isn’t that supposed to be illegal in this country?
A few days ago, I read about someone who was sent to jail who insisted on collecting dollars for a bracelet he was selling.
These people were collecting deposits in dollars and paying out dollars, yet nothing happened to them.
The EFCC and CBN have released a list of similar organisations to ” warn” Nigerians not to patronise them.
That is not good enough. They know where these businesses are located. They should go and shut them down.
They should also arrest the owners and refund money to their victims.
After which, they should place a ban on such organisations.
Warnings or promises to recover the money after the fact, as the EFCC is doing here, are not good enough.
How will they recover the money? How much will they recover? By the time they reach the masterminds of this scam, most of the money will have been spent.
How will they refund the numerous depositors in the unlikely event that they recover the money?
As far as I can see, this is just about raising the victims’ hopes and preventing them from jumping into the lagoon or a river.
GEE.
Point-counterpoint
Nigerian politics entered the renowned Arsenal-Real Madrid quarter-final match on 16 April. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar fired the opening shot, which a citizen quickly countered.
The continuing saga of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan versus Godswill Akpabio
The drama in the Senate took new dimensions during the week.
The Senate president’s camp hired and introduced Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, as Lead Counsel. Agbakoba launched attacks questioning the veracity of the rape claim. Meanwhile, the Akpabio camp reached out to the other side to explore dispute resolution outside the court.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan reportedly declined.
Armed robbers invaded the family home of Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan. The Nigerian Police confirmed that they destroyed household items, but without human casualties. The story of the robbery excited impassioned debates between persons in the Natasha camp and those in Akpabio’s camp. Natasha’s traducers swore it was a lie and fits into her alleged manipulation. It took the police confirmation to quell the debate along those lines.
The reign of fake news
The confused political scene has birthed fake news across platforms. It is worse in the Rivers State debacle.
Reports claimed that the Sole Administrator invited suspended Governor Sim Fubara and his deputy to Government House to answer questions about their expenditure and resource priorities. Today, 18 April, is the supposed date for the inquisition. Except that 18 April is Good Friday, a significant public holiday for Christians. Rivers State is a majority Christian state.
